Hello, everyone! Welcome to Sports Nirvana. I thought before I get into any hardcore writing that I should tell you a bit about myself and my likes and dislikes in the world of sports. I was born and raised in Green Bay, so it'll be pretty easy to figure out where my loyalties lie in the NFL. And for those still unsure, they lay with the Packers...not Brett Favre. I grew up a Brewers fan as well but once the Seligs ran the franchise into the ground in the late 90's, I lost interest. I returned to the Crew in 2004 when a young infielder named Bill Hall brought passion, hard work and excitement to the game that I hadn't seen in Milwaukee in several years. I moved to Milwaukee on New Year's Day 2005, and I've been a Brewers' season ticket holder ever since. Needless to say, it looks like a good time to be a season ticket holder and have a guaranteed spot for playoff baseball.
When approached to start my own blog, I was asked if I wanted a Packers specific blog or something more general. One thing you will quickly learn about me is that I'm a sports junkie. It is my drug, I'm addicted and I love it. I can't get enough and it doesn't matter the sport. From football to baseball, tennis to beach volleyball. If it's on, I'm watching or following along on my phone getting updates whenever possible.
Other passions in my life include World War 2 history, my family's genealogy and 90's music. Having been born in 1979, I had a front row seat in my teens for the greatest decade of music in history. Although I didn't enjoy all the music at the time, I have since learned to enjoy and respect the musical talent and diversity that the 90's held. I combined that love of music with my love of sports and here you are at Sports Nirvana.
As I write this, my clock reads 1:20 AM and I'm staying up late to watch the Gold Medal game of Men's Basketball. Spain will take on the current version of NBA All-Stars dubbed The Redeem Team. Their success has got me looking back and yearning for the original group of US Men's Basketball...The Dream Team. That team, of course, competed in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. I have heard many people comparing the current team to the group from '92 and some have even said that this incarnation of talent is better than the group that took the court in Barcelona.
The Dream Team featured players that are still household names; Jordan, Magic, Bird and Barkley. 10 of the 12 players were named to the NBA's list of the 50 Greatest Players. The team featured Patrick Ewing and David Robinson, two of the best centers ever. Christian Laettner was the lone college player represented on the team. John Stockton, Scottie Pippen, Chris Mullin, Karl Malone and Clyde Drexler rounded out the squad.
Larry Bird was the only player you could say was past his prime. Although Magic Johnson had been out of the game for a year due to acquiring HIV, he was still at the top of his game both physically and mentally. The rest of the team was full of players in their prime and at the peak of their games. The Dream Team won their games by an average of almost 44 points a game and was never seriously challenged. It was their involvement in the Olympics that served as the starting point for the rest of the world to improve in basketball.
The rest of the world built on those Olympics and eventually got to the point where they defeated future US Basketball teams. However, don't confuse those games with having anything to do with other countries having superior talent to the US. The US team has always had and will always have superior talent in basketball. That talent does not only translate into great or even good teams. A once great team turned into 12 individuals with 12 separate agendas and it was only a matter of time before teams around the world, that played team basketball, would catch and pass the US.
The Redeem Team is led by Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. Their one goal was to restore the United States back to basketball excellence. The team is thin in the frontcourt only having Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh and Carlos Boozer as legitimate power forwards or centers. Jason Kidd is the elder statesman of the group in a team rounded-out by 20-somethings Deron Williams, Michael Redd, Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh, Chris Paul, Tayshaun Prince and Carmelo Anthony.
This is an outstanding group of young talent and may even be more athletic than their 1992 counterparts. However, I give the edge to The Dream Team in every other aspect of the game: ball handling and movement, shooting, defense and basketball IQ. The Dream Team had more depth in the frontcourt and the ultimate winner in Michael Jordan. The Redeem Team could have 12 Kobe Bryants but as long as The Dream Team had Jordan to lead the rest of the team, they wouldn't lose to anyone, anyplace.
The US just beat Spain in a thrilling gold medal game, 118-107. It was definitely a game that I'm glad I stayed up to watch and enjoy. The Redeem Team did their job and brought the gold back to the United States. However, as great as this team was, nothing can ever compare to the original. The phrase "once in a lifetime" truly does apply to The Dream Team and we will never see another team like that ever again.